diff --git a/doc/requirements.txt b/doc/requirements.txt
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..38e1b02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/doc/requirements.txt
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+openstackdocstheme>=2.2.1 # Apache-2.0
+sphinx>=2.0.0,!=2.1.0 # BSD
+sphinxcontrib-apidoc>=0.2.0  # BSD
diff --git a/test-requirements.txt b/test-requirements.txt
index 0d0f7f6..37e0ee8 100644
--- a/test-requirements.txt
+++ b/test-requirements.txt
@@ -10,8 +10,3 @@ fixtures>=3.0.0 # Apache-2.0/BSD
 python-subunit>=1.0.0 # Apache-2.0/BSD
 stestr>=2.0.0 # Apache-2.0
 testtools>=2.2.0 # MIT
-
-# this is required for the docs build jobs
-openstackdocstheme>=2.2.1 # Apache-2.0
-sphinx>=2.0.0,!=2.1.0 # BSD
-sphinxcontrib-apidoc>=0.2.0  # BSD
diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 06f2a27..c98a1d5 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ commands = stestr run --slowest {posargs}
 commands = flake8
 
 [testenv:docs]
+deps = -c{env:TOX_CONSTRAINTS_FILE:https://releases.openstack.org/constraints/upper/master}
+       -r{toxinidir}/doc/requirements.txt
 whitelist_externals =
   rm
 commands =